Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War
by Tony Horwitz
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz holds a highly rated rating of 4.08 out of 5, based on 16.8K reader ratings. First published in 1998. The book spans 406 pages.
About Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War
When prize-winning war correspondent Tony Horwitz leaves the battlefields of Bosnia and the Middle East for a peaceful corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he thinks he's put war zones behind him. But awakened one morning by the crackle of musket fire, Horwitz starts filing front-line dispatches again this time from a war close to home, and to his own heart.Propelled by his boyhood passion for the Civil War, Horwitz embarks on a search for places and people still held in thrall by America's greatest conflict. The result is an adventure into the soul of the unvanquished South, where the ghosts of the Lost Cause are resurrected through ritual and remembrance.In Virginia, Horwitz joins a band of 'hardcore' reenactors who crash-diet to achieve the hollow-eyed look of starved Confederates; in Kentucky, he witnesses Klan rallies and calls for race war sparked by the killing of a white man who brandishes a rebel flag; at Andersonville, he finds that the prison's commander, executed as a war criminal, is now exalted as a martyr and hero; and in the book's climax, Horwitz takes a marathon trek from Antietam to Gettysburg to Appomattox in the company of Robert Lee Hodge, an eccentric pilgrim who dubs their odyssey the 'Civil Wargasm.'Written with Horwitz's signature blend of humor, history, and hard-nosed journalism, Confederates in the Attic brings alive old battlefields and new ones 'classrooms, courts, country bars' where the past and the present collide, often in explosive ways. Poignant and picaresque, haunting and hilarious, it speaks to anyone who has ever felt drawn to the mythic South and to the dark romance of the Civil War.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | Tony Horwitz |
| Published | 1998 |
| Pages | 406 |
| Genres | History, Non-Fiction |
| Average Rating | 4.08 / 5.00 |
| Total Ratings | 16,792 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War?
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War is categorized as History, Non-Fiction. Its primary genre classification is History.
Is Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War worth reading?
Based on 16.8K reader ratings, Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War has an average score of 4.08 out of 5.00, which is considered "Highly Rated."
How many pages is Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War?
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War has 406 pages.
Who wrote Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War?
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War was written by Tony Horwitz. It was first published in 1998.
What is the ISBN for Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War?
The ISBN-13 for Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War is 9780679758330.0.
Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026
